BUCKLAND Athletic kickstarted the bank holiday weekend with a “very positive” result and performance against Wellington AFC at Homers Heath.
A 4-0 success in the Western Football League on Good Friday helps them keep their future in their own hands with sides around them also picking up three points.
Persistent rain paired with gusty winds made for a miserable afternoon in Newton Abbot but the hosts were still able to get the job done, Ryan Bush (2), Jack Baxter and Jared Lewington with the goals.
Bucks manager Dan Hart spoke of being “Really pleased with both the result and the performance”, particularly after, “the pressure had been put on by a really great win for Nailsea at Clevedon” earlier in the day.
In the early stages, both sides had their own clear outlets, with the hold-up play and physicality of Bush the way to go for Buckland. At the other end, the diminutive Phil Mendonca was such a threat every time he picked up the ball, driving at defenders and gliding past them with ease at times.
Before the goals came, the referee was in the thick of it with a yellow card coming out of his pocket more than once.
Young defender Rafael Beadman was the first, for gamesmanship when leaving the field with blood. A Welly man joined him in the book for dragging down Bush on halfway before manager Hart received a lengthy talking to and Cieran Bridger then also had his name taken.
Ben Fowles, Ben Carter and Teigan Rosenquest were working well together on the ball and they helped bring about the opener. As has often been the case at Homers this season, Bush got the ball rolling, turning well and firing beyond the goalkeeper much to the delight of the home crowd.
The striker nearly had another as Carter sent in one of his many hugely inviting deliveries but it wasn’t to be and the score remained 1-0 at half-time.
It didn’t take long for Bush to notch a second after the break, sliding in to convert from a superb delivery. He stayed down in the goal afterwards and required treatment but luckily, was all okay to continue.
His manager commented that, “We created a lot of opportunities and obviously took our goals very well.”
Bush was joined on the scoresheet by former Teignmouth AFC man Ryan Baxter, who drove in between two defenders and let off a wicked effort, and substitute Jared Lewington, who headed home from a corner for the 4-0 lead.
Wellington goalkeeper Jack McAndrews then made a pair of very good stops from one-on-ones with Fowles and Lewington to keep the scoring down and in general, the away side performed far better than the scoreline suggests. The aforementioned Mendonca was a joy to watch and a danger throughout.
Hart mused that his side “looked a threat throughout”, adding that “It was a pleasing display and we’ve got to take things game by game.”
Looking forward now and a visit to Ilfracombe Town awaits on Easter Monday. On that game, Hart said: “It’ll be a really stern task. Ilfracombe were very good at our place a few weeks ago, we won it in the last minute and they’ve gone and beaten Barnstaple 3-0 today so we know that it’s going to be difficult but it’s a challenge we have to overcome if we’re going to achieve our goals.”
That goal being a playoff finish- Buckland occupy the final spot and have Nailsea one point behind and Shepton Mallet two, with just two games to go.
Two more performances like this and Hart’s men will certainly be competing for promotion after the end of the regular season. After some underwhelming performances recently, Buckland were “Pleasing on the eye and gave our supporters a reminder of what we can do.”